Would You Kill For Him?
by R. O. Knight
Summary: A phone call after work sets Special Agent Kensi Blye on a path that could ultimately cause an irreparable rift between herself and her partner...   F.Y.I. - It's actually got Drama, Hurt/Comfort themes, Romance, and some Humor.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, so first of all I would like to let everyone know that I will be posting updates to **_**Fern, Tortured, and Alyssa's One-Shots**_** sometime within the next several hours. I have the updates pretty much written out already, but I still need to proofread them one last time, and then get them uploaded. So here's to hoping I can get it all done, and still finish my homework for my History professor.**

**Secondly, this little bit you are about to read is sort of a teaser for a new story that I am also working on alongside my others. It just kind of popped into my head very recently while I was thinking about my stories **_**Tortured and Save Me**_**. I immediately knew that I needed to write this new story.**

**Now, without further ado, I will leave you guys to enjoy the main feature, and hope to hear back some of your thoughts and comments on this new piece. Enjoy! **

Everyone was gathered at the boat shed. They were watching an interrogation unfold in front of them, and none of them were particularly happy about it. There was an uneasiness that filled the air around everyone in the room, and no one felt it more than LAPD liaison officer Detective Marty Deeks.

"Hetty, I don't understand." Deeks said, turning to face the tiny woman who stood next to him watching the live camera feed streaming from inside the interrogation room. "Why is Callen questioning Kensi?" he asked, uncertainly.

Hetty looked up at the shaggy-haired man with a sad look. "Its not for me to say, Mr. Deeks." Was all that the operations manager said before turning back to the viewing screen.

Deeks stared down at the tiny woman with confusion and disbelief for a long moment, before finally turning his attention back to the interrogation currently in full swing just one room over.

…_On the viewing screen…_

_Callen paced the length of the small table obviously deep in thought, and NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye sat on the wrong side of said table. Callen stopped finally, facing away from his colleague, and let out an agitated sigh._

"_You know why you're here?" he asked without turning around._

_Kensi remained silent and unmoving, staring straight ahead with her face devoid of any emotion or telltale expression._

_Callen turned around finally, and stared back at the female federal agent. "Come on." He said insistently without raising his voice. "Say something, anything." He urged her. "Explain yourself." He was almost begging her at that point._

_She said nothing, and did nothing—only continued to sit motionless in her seat._

_Callen moved forward, clearly irritated by the woman's lack of cooperation, and flipped open the dossier he'd left sitting in the center of the table._

_He produced several crime scene photos from within, and carefully arranged them on the tabletop in front of Kensi. "See these men…they're all dead—but you knew that." Callen said, his chest heaving with the emotions he was fighting to keep in check. "This one." He said, pointing to one photo in particular that set in the center of all the others. "This was the last one, and do you know what we found at the scene?" _

_Kensi still did not react to Callen's frustration or his words, both of which were directed solely at her. _

…Inside the interrogation room…

"Your fingerprints…on the murder weapon." Callen told her, though he was sure she already knew that particular detail. "What do you have to say to that?" he asked. "Damnit Kensi." He swore angrily after another long moment of silence from the woman. "Say something. Say this is all a mistake." He urged her insistently, but this time his voice did rise a few octaves.

Callen hated himself immensely for treating his teammate like a criminal, but evidence doesn't lie…at least not that he knew of anyway.

"Don't throw your life away, Kens." Callen tried softening his voice, but it still did little in the way of breaking Kensi's resolve. "You just don't care do you?" Callen said disgustedly, his voice rising up again. "What about Deeks, hunh? He's your partner. He deserves the truth don't you think. Or do you not care about him either?"

Kensi actually blinked at Callen's last statement. She knew that he was right—Deeks did deserve the truth, but not the heartache that came with it. He would hate her for sure, and that much she felt certain of. She wasn't sure she could take having her partner, her best friend, look at her like she was the worst person in the entire world.

The female federal agent felt hot, fresh tears spring into her eyes as she sat there staring at the wall on the opposite end of the room. She finally looked up at the team leader, her eyes glistening with the tears that she so desperately fought back, and spoke with unwavering conviction.

"I would die for him." Kensi said in a low, shaky voice.

Outside the interrogation room, Deeks was feeling unsteady all of a sudden. The weight of what was going on pressed down upon him like the pressures in the deepest depths of the ocean. The thoughts that began to swirl around inside his head were too horrible to say out loud.

The things that Callen was suggesting that Kensi did were just too unfathomable to be true. They couldn't be. Kensi just wasn't that kind of person—but then again. So many things that had happened over the last two or three months began to make sense, and he wished like hell that they didn't.

Suddenly the liaison officer needed air—fresh, clean air. He turned away, careful not to let anyone else in the room see the tears that were building in his own eyes, and then he hastily exited the room without a single word.

Hetty looked up. "Mr. Deeks." she called quietly after the shaggy-haired man. It was too late though, and he was already out the door and off to God only knew where.

"Deeks!" Sam tried as well, but then he got a look from Hetty and that was the end of that.

"Give him room, Mr. Hanna." Hetty said quietly. "This can't be easy for him right now." She added, as the two of them looked on with sad eyes.

Back inside the interrogation room, Callen looked down at the brunette, and studied her for a few quick seconds before responding. "What about kill? Would you kill for him?" Callen asked somberly.

Kensi pushed her seat back from the table and stood up. Everyone watched as she walked towards the nearby surveillance camera that was mounted in the corner just opposite the door.

"Deeks," she said with a shaky voice as she stared up into the camera lens that was trained only on her at that moment. "I had no choice." She said apologetically, still fighting the tears that stung the space behind her eyes. "I did it for you…for us." She continued.

Callen wanted desperately to shut his ears and pretend that he wasn't hearing any of what the female federal agent was saying at that moment—but sadly, he could not. He could only watch helplessly as the truth finally began to emerge from the shadowy corners it had hidden in for so long.

"I need you to understand." Kensi was saying. "Please, I need you to-"

Callen received some new information from the outside through his earwig transmitter, and it wasn't good. He debated for a few very brief seconds on whether or not he should tell Kensi, but he eventually decided that honesty was probably best for the time being.

"Kens," Callen said softly.

Kensi turned halfway around and looked at the other man standing just across the way from her.

"He's already left the boatshed." Callen finally managed to choke the words out for her. "Deeks is gone."

That was it. The tears began streaming down Kensi's cheeks almost immediately as she lumbered back to hear seat, and then plopped down into the hard plastic once again. She had known this might happen if and when he found out, but she had hoped beyond belief that maybe he'd forgive her on the spot and tell her that everything would be okay. That had been wishful thinking on her part to be sure.

Callen pulled out the other chair, and sat down across the table from the sobbing woman. "Kensi," he said softly. "I need to know…everything."

Kensi wiped tears from her face with the backs of her hands, and stared across the table at Callen. The truth would finally be told at long last, and it had been a long time coming. She was tired of running and hiding from those she cared about, especially from Deeks the one person in the world that she trusted more than anyone or anything else. She would have to start from the beginning to be able to accurately relay her sordid tale of murder and deceit.

"It was three months ago," Kensi began, after taking a deep breath and then letting it go all at once. "Deeks and I had planned to grab a beer later that evening. I was leaving the mission that afternoon, and that's when I received the phone call, on my cell. It was a private number, unlisted, and I never should have answered it. I knew better…"

…TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: The name of the hotel mentioned in this chapter is completely made up, and does not, to the best of my knowledge, exist in any shape or form.**

**Happy Reading! **

3 Months Earlier…

It was late in the evening inside the _Golden Sands_ beachfront hotel in Malibu, California. Kensi and Deeks were sneaking quietly down a long hallway located on the buildings' first floor.

"If we get caught…we're screwed. You know that right?" Kensi asked, as she followed Deeks down the long hallway that lead back out to the lobby.

"Only because you keep reminding me." Deeks remarked.

Kensi rolled her eyes at her partner, though he could not see her do it.

The partners were currently in the midst of an undercover Op, in which they were posing as a couple vacationing at an upscale beachfront hotel in Malibu.

A less-than-honest manager who had taken to extortion like bees to honey, ran the hotel; and through his many underhanded dealings he wound up extorting and then killing two United States Navy officers—one of which happened to be a navy seal.

They had just left the manager's office, on the first floor, only minutes before, and were now trying to make their way back to the room they shared several floors above. They had been snooping around and searching for anything they might be able to use to get a confession from the guilty hotel manager.

Deeks was rambling quietly about something else, when she heard it. She listened carefully for a few more seconds to make sure she'd heard right.

"Shhh." Kensi said suddenly, stopping where she stood. "Listen." She insisted in a low voice. At first all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating inside her chest.

Deeks listened intently, and then he heard the noise his partner had been talking about. "Someone's coming." Deeks said, looking at his partner.

"Gee, you think." Kensi snapped back quietly.

"Hey, this is no time to get snappy." Deeks shot back. "This whole thing was your idea—remember?" He added, pointing a finger at the sexy brunette.

Practically the whole time they'd been alone inside the hotel they had been at each other's throat every other chance they got. They didn't mean to get this way, but the sexual tension that had been building up over time between them was becoming more and more unbearable; and being in such close proximity to each other for hours upon hours wasn't really helping things any either.

"Maybe if you hadn't taken so long we'd already be back in our room." The female federal agent countered, taking a step towards the shaggy-haired man. "But no, you just had to try out that stupid massage chair."

"Take that back." Deeks insisted while still holding his ground against his partner. "That chair was _nice_."

"Oh whatever!" Kensi snapped back. "It was overpriced, over-"

In the midst of their heated argument they'd forgotten all about the heavy footsteps headed their way. "Damnit, we're trapped." Kensi said suddenly, looking up and down both ends of the hallway.

Deeks noticed that the door directly behind where Kensi stood read, in big bold letters, _LOUNGE_. His brain quickly hatched an idea, and he only prayed that the room was empty.

"They're getting closer." Kensi said, looking back to Deeks.

"Oh you're so gonna kick my ass for this in the morning." Deeks said without thinking.

"What are you talking about?" Kensi was slightly confused by her partner's words, and really that she could read his mind sometimes.

Deeks grabbed the brunette around the waist and pushed her towards the door. "Saving our asses…now follow my lead." He said quickly, as he forced open the lounge door and pushed them into the room beyond.

"Whoooaaa," Kensi found herself suddenly forced backwards into a long rectangular table inside the lounge room—at least that's what it felt like. It was dark in the room, as neither one of them had hit the light switch on the way in. "Deeks, what are-" she tried to say, but almost without warning the shaggy-haired man seized her lips with his own.

He pulled back just enough to give her a heads up on his next move. "Just go with our cover." He whispered as he ripped open the front of her nice white blouse. Several buttons flew off of the garment and went whizzing through the air in almost as many different directions.

"Hey." She protested. "That was my nice…Ooohh." Words suddenly failed her, and her eyes rolled back up into her skull as she felt Deeks' warm breath against her neck, and then the trail of kisses he began to leave in a downward path that led to the top of her bra.

_God, this feels so good._ She felt a low moan escape her lips as Deeks expertly removed her bra in one, single fluid motion.

Deeks chuckled at the sound of Kensi's apparent approval at his methods. He nipped at her taught, pink nipple and the action only further stimulated the female federal agent. "Mmmm…yes." She moaned again.

That's when it happened. Kensi was just beginning to enjoy herself, even though it was just supposed to be part of their cover, when the door to the lounge room suddenly flew open and the lights came on.

Deeks spun around to face the intruder. His top half was exposed as he had shrugged out of his own shirt as soon as they'd entered the room. "Dude, what the hell!" Deeks exclaimed, as he stared in disbelief at the dark-haired man who stood in the doorway. It was the hotel manager.

Kensi sat upright on the tabletop where she had been positioned by her partner only moments before, and quickly pulled her blouse close to cover her exposed front. "Doesn't anyone ever knock in this place!" Kensi snapped. The words were spoken partly in the guise of her cover identity, but then also in part by her true self. She couldn't lie to herself anymore…she really did _want_ Deeks.

"I-I…I uh…I am s-so sorry." The hotel manager sputtered, as he averted his eyes from the scene. "But you really shouldn't be down here at this hour." He told them.

Deeks reached down and plucked his shirt and Kensi's bra from the floor. He handed the bra back to Kensi, and then turned back to face the dark-haired man.

"Yeah…we get that a lot, believe it or not." Deeks said as he pulled his shirt back over his head. "But my wife," he added, pointing over his shoulder at Kensi. "She likes it a little kinky…know what I mean?" Deeks said with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, well… I can certainly see that, sir." The dark-haired man responded from his spot in the doorway of the room. "However, I must ask that you return to your room before engaging in such…romps." He told them.

"I gotcha man." Deeks replied, as he turned back to Kensi. "You heard the man, sweets. We gotta vacate the premises."

Kensi slid down off of the table, and stepped around Deeks. She headed for the door, still holding her blouse closed, and walked towards the door. "Killjoy." The brunette pouted as she passed by the hotel manager.

Deeks followed his partner, and smiled at the dark-haired man with feigned politeness. "Sorry bout that." He apologized. "She's used to getting her way—guess that's what happens when your parents are loaded like hers." Deeks gave a small wink to the dark-haired man.

The hotel manager only nodded and watched as Deeks followed the sexy brunette down the length of the hallway, and back to the exit out into the main lobby area.

The elevator ride back up to their floor was excruciatingly awkward, and filled mostly with silence. They both chanced glances at the other, but other than that they made no contact.

A few minutes later the elevator reached their floor, pinged, and then the doors opened. They stepped off and made their way down the hallway to room 432—their room.

Back inside the room was a different story altogether though. As soon as they were safely inside, Kensi suddenly couldn't take it anymore. Her insides were burning white hot from their earlier encounter downstairs, and the desire for her partner was quickly becoming too much-she needed release.

"Well, that was a little too close for comfort." Deeks said finally, after closing and locking the door to their hotel room. "Sorry about that, by the way." He said apologetically to his partner. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable…it was just the only thing I could think of-" he started.

"Screw it." She mumbled to herself all at once. She dropped her bra on the floor, and allowed her blouse to fall open once again. She moved towards him, closing the gap quickly and then threw herself at the shaggy-haired man.

"Kens, what are you-" he started, but her sudden attack on his lips silenced him. It was deep and consuming, and the taste of her was simply intoxicating to say the least.

When she finally broke for air they stared at each other for a long moment. It was clear that they both wanted this so much more than either of them had ever been willing to admit until now. "I don't know what you're up to, but I like it." He told her. "Kensi, If we go much further though…I can't promise I'll be able to stop myself." He warned.

Kensi pressed her hot sex against his, and that alone spoke volumes about her willingness to proceed and her trust in him. "I know." She whispered softly, almost pleadingly. "I want it, Deeks. I want you." She breathed.

Deeks seized her lips again after that, as he steered her backwards towards the sofa. She tumbled back over the end of the sofa onto her back against the soft cushions.

Deeks lowered himself over her, and began to suckle her tender breasts. She moaned beneath him as his actions caused small waves of pleasure to wash over her. "Ooh, Deeks…Deeks-"

Suddenly a sound startled the two of them, and then their room door flew open to reveal Callen and Sam standing just outside. Deeks and Kensi had both forgotten that their teammates also had a keycard for accessing the room.

The two men stepped inside, and then closed the door behind them.

"We're not interrupting anything…are we?" Callen said, eyeing the partners and the compromising positions they were in.

Deeks rolled off of Kensi, stood to his feet, and straightened himself up. Kensi jumped up off of the sofa and bolted for the bedroom. "Doesn't _anyone_ in this place knock?" the female federal agent muttered as she passed by the two other men—holding her blouse closed once again as she walked by.

"S-Sorry about that." Deeks apologized, as he ran a hand through his hair. "We were just…ya know, selling our cover." He tried desperately to explain away what the two men had just seen—more for Kensi's sake than his own. "In case our guy had the room bugged you know." He added.

"Right." Sam replied, with a look that said 'so not buying it dude'.

"Okay, lets just forget that any of _that_ ever happened." Callen said, stepping towards Deeks. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah, we got it." Kensi said as she re-entered the living room area. She had changed out of her blouse and into a regular t-shirt. The thing that the brunette had not realized yet, was that the shirt she wore now was one of Deeks shirts.

"Welcome back." Callen greeted the female federal agent once again.

Kensi rolled her eyes at the team leader, and looked instead at her own partner. "Go ahead." She said. "Show'em."

Deeks gave an amused chuckle at seeing his partner wearing one of his t-shirts.

"What?" she asked at seeing the amused expression on Deeks' face.

"Nice T, partner." He replied, pointing to her t-shirt.

"What about it?" she asked, still somewhat confused, as she looked down at the t-shirt.

"Its one of mine." He said with a grin.

Kensi blushed from ear to ear as she realized that Deeks was right. It was his t-shirt that she was wearing.

Sam and Callen also looked quite amused by this.

Kensi shook her head, and motioned for Deeks to hand over the object that Callen and Sam had come for. "Just give them the thumb drive." She said insistently.

Deeks dug down into his jeans pocket, and a few seconds later produced a small thumb drive, which he handed over to Callen.

"Everything we need to bust this guy is right here." He said, showing them the small device in his hand. A thought occurred to him as he said the words, and he knew immediately that he needed to ask. "Wait," Deeks said, holding the thumb drive back a second. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I thought _we_ were supposed to contact you guys after-"

"Kensi. Check your phone." Sam said at once.

Kensi pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and examined it carefully. She groaned agitatedly when she saw the words scrolled across the screen.

"What is it?" Deeks asked, trying to peek over at his partner's cell phone.

"The emergency alert." She said, showing Deeks the phone. "I must have accidentally butt-dialed it when you threw me down on…that…table." She looked up, suddenly aware of how weird and awkward it sounded when said out loud.

"What happened now?" Callen asked, leaning towards them with a slight grin spread across his face.

"None of your business." Kensi snapped with a serious look. "Good enough for ya?" She was already embarrassed enough without Callen (or Sam) making things worse for her.

Callen backed off, splaying his hands out in front of him in mid-air to indicate his surrender. Deeks then tossed the thumb drive across the way to the muscular black man who stood watching everything silently.

"Why don't you guys mosey on along now." Deeks said, motioning towards the door. "You can let us know what Eric pulls off of that thing in the morning." He added.

"Fair enough." Sam replied. He and Callen headed for the door again. "Hey, Kensi. Word of advice—don't _butt dial_ unless it's a real emergency next time." He said with a small wink.

Kensi glared at the team leader as he and Sam disappeared back out through the hotel room door. She walked over afterward, and relocked the door once again.

Deeks could tell that his partner was frustrated and humiliated and so many other things at that particular moment. He wanted to help her somehow, but he wasn't sure how exactly.

He chuckled lightly. "Talk about mood killers, hunh?" he tried humorously.

Kensi turned slightly, and only looked at her partner. "I'm…I'm sorry, about that." She said quietly.

"Why are sorry?" Deeks asked, a little bit confused by her apology.

"I know how that must have looked—especially for you." She said, still in her quiet voice.

"Kensi, I'm fine. Its you _I'm_ worried about." He told her. He could tell that she was close to tears by that point.

"I'll survive. I mean, they know how I am with guys." She explained. "One night stands, flings—never anything serious."

"Is that what we almost were…just then I mean?" Deeks asked, curiously and somehow otherwise unaffected by what his partner had said. "Was I gonna be just another one-night stand for you?"

Kensi shook her head, and wiped fresh tears away from her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I-I don't know, Deeks. I just don't know right now."

Deeks stepped forward, and pulled Kensi close. He kissed her gently on the forehead, and then looked into her eyes. "Don't think too hard on it fern." He said with a warm smile. "It is pretty late, so what do you say we both turn in for the night?"

Kensi couldn't help but smile back at the shaggy-haired man. "Sounds good." She replied quietly.

After that they both went their separate ways for the night. Kensi slept in the bedroom, and Deeks crashed out on the sofa in the living room.

…24 Hours Later…

Kensi and Deeks strolled out of the mission together after another long day. They had managed to wrap up the case they'd been working, and had successfully gotten the hotel manager to confess to his crimes.

The sun was about an hour away from setting completely below the horizon as the pair made their way to their own cars—which incidentally were parked, side-by-side, in the lot.

"Got any plans tonight?" Deeks asked, as he pulled open the driver's side door to his car.

Kensi didn't answer at first. Her mind was still on the sexual encounter she and Deeks had had that last night at the hotel. She couldn't help but feel as though she might never get another opportunity like that one, and that notion really hurt her inside.

Deeks whistled and finally got her attention. She looked up over the hood of her SRX, finally, and stared back at her partner. "What?" she asked, obviously oblivious to what he had asked only moments before.

"Tonight…any plans…have…you?" he asked again, emphasizing only the important parts this time around. "Yes or no?"

Kensi appeared thoughtful for a brief moment as she continued to stare back at her partner. "Not that I know of, why?" she replied.

"How about dinner? My place?" he offered.

"Sounds good." Kensi said, as she unlocked her car door, eyeing Deeks suspiciously. "Why?"  
>Deeks shrugged. "I dunno. Its been a long couple of days. I thought maybe we could hang out, eat some dinner…maybe finish what we started back at the hotel." He said slyly.<p>

Kensi's heart skipped a beat at hearing what he was proposing. It was too good to be true she thought. "Sure." She said quickly. "7:00 sound okay?"

"Sounds great." He said with a smile, over the roof of his Chevy Malibu. "See you then sweets?" he teased her.

"Yeah," she replied, biting at her lower lip like a young schoolgirl confronted by her long-time crush. "I'll be there." She promised with a smile of her own.

She watched as Deeks slid behind the wheel of his car, and then watched him pull out of the parking lot and drive away from the mission.

After a few more minutes she finally slid behind the wheel of her SRX, and began to buckle her seatbelt when her cell phone began to ring. She dug the gadget out of her pants pocket and answered it quickly.

"Hello."

"Ms. Blye?" Came an unfamiliar voice over the line.

"Yes. Who is this?" she asked, uncertainly.

There was a brief silence at first, but then a few seconds later the voice picked back up again. "That is of no great importance at this time, my dear. What is important though, is that I know you."

"Sorry, I'm afraid I don't follow." Kensi replied. She was starting to get somewhat creeped out by the mysterious phone call.

"You seem very fond of Detective Deeks, are you now?" the voice said next, and the words sent a slight chill down Kensi's spine. She was also beginning to feel a little bit angry at this person—whoever he was.

"I don't really see how that's any of your business." She snapped over the phone.

"Oh, you will, my dear. You will." The voice replied, with a rather creepy sort of chuckle. "I'm going to leave you now…leave you to ponder one thing." He told her.

"Yeah." She snapped again at the voice on the other end of the line. "What's that!"

"How _much_ do you care for him, Hmm?" the voice said next. "If you held his fate in your hands…how far would you go to protect him?"

"That a threat!" Kensi snapped, even angrier now that she originally had been.

The voice laughed in that creepy sort of way again. "You'll see." The voice taunted her. "I'll be in touch, Agent Kensi Blye." The voice said next. "And, I would advise you to think long and hard about what we've discussed here today—it could mean the difference between life or death, for the Detective."

Then the line went dead before Kensi could say anything else. She sat there in her car confused, worried, scared, angry, and a plethora of other emotions as she tried to calm herself back down for the trip home to change, and then from there, the drive over to Deeks' place.

She would try to forget the weird phone call, even though she knew that would be utterly impossible to do. Something about the call, and the person on the other end of the line just seemed to rub her the wrong way.

…TBC…

**Hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter, and I hope that you all will join in to read the next exciting chapter once I get it posted. As always, Happy Reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Kensi Blye looked so peaceful lying sprawled out on her back on her side of the bed, her naked body only partially covered by the top sheet. The previous night had been unlike anything she'd experienced thus far in her life.

The previous nights' activities had been, for her, a most welcome distraction from the unnerving phone call she'd received in the parking lot outside the mission. And she had needed it too.

The whole conversation with the creepy, distorted voice on the other end of the phone line had been utterly disturbing—if not frustrating as hell. The way that the man spoke when he talked about her and Deeks being close had not only chilled her to the bone, but made her sick to think that someone out there was following and watching their every move.

Being with Deeks, though, had temporarily eased her mind of all its former troubles for the duration of the evening. He had treated her to a dinner of beer and steak, prepared of course in his own kitchen, and it had been perfect, despite his commenting on how he knew it wasn't the most romantic date she had ever been on. She disagreed though, and tried her hardest to make him believe that—especially after finding out that he'd rented _Titanic_, her favorite movie of all time, for them to watch.

However, despite their best efforts, the duo only managed to make it through about the first fifteen minutes of the film, before finding themselves engaged in a good old fashioned, hot and heavy make-out session; and everyone knows where actions such as those can often lead two people. Especially when the heat between the pair had become too much for either of them to ignore any longer.

_Deeks and Kensi clung tightly to one another as they shuffled backwards out of the living room. "Bedroom's this way." Deeks said, as he tried to motion over his shoulder. _

"_Lead the way then." She replied, unable to tear her lips away from his for any length of time. Neither partner had ever dreamed that something as trivial as kissing could become as overwhelming and all consuming as it had in just the last 15 minutes._

"_Ooh." Kensi stumbled clumsily over one of Monty's chew toys, but was able to maintain her balance enough that neither of them had to stop their backwards procession towards the bedroom._

"_Careful," Deeks warned her between kisses. "Its like a minefield through here." Kensi chuckled against the shaggy-haired mans' lips._

_Seconds later they finally reached their destination, but there was still one obstacle left standing between them and sweet, sweet victory—the door. Kensi leaned back against its smooth finish, with Deeks hovering just above her with his forehead just touching hers. They were both breathing heavily as they stood there together gasping for air._

"_Are we…really doing this?" she asked at last, swallowing a lump in her throat, as she looked up into her partner's eyes. She searched his Pacific Ocean blue eyes for any traces of uncertainty or doubt—she found none. "Is this really what we want?"_

_Deeks moved his hands down to her firm buttocks, and then pulled her close so that their sexes were just touching one another through the fabrics of their clothes._

_Kensi gasped, and then shuddered at the heat that was instantly generated by his hardness pressing into the space between her thighs. "Oh, Deeks." She whimpered. "Oh, please." She begged._

"_You feel that." He whispered to her, all the while struggling to remain in full control of his own body. "I'm so hard right now-" he continued. His eyes were closed as he spoke the words that hung just on the tip of his tongue. "-so hard…for you, Kens."_

_It was only now that Kensi actually felt just how hot and bright her own fire was burning within her, and the intense ache that came with it was for one thing, and one thing only—_Him_. She knew then that nothing else would do, and that no one else would even come close to being able to squelch the fires or satisfy the hunger ignited by the shaggy-haired detective._

_Kensi pressed herself even closer to Deeks, and whispered between kisses as a low growl escaped his throat. "I'm so hot for you right now." She whimpered softly. "I need you to take me…take me now—please." _

_Deeks grabbed the doorknob and forced the door open. He then pushed his partner through the opening to the other side—shutting the door back once he was safely inside the room with her._

Kensi began to stir from her dreamless slumber as new sunlight poured in through a crack in the curtains that covered the bedroom windows. She blinked several times while shielding her delicate eyes with her arm; but it became too much and she finally rolled away from the thin beam of harsh light.

She now stared at the exposed skin of Deeks' lightly tanned back. She could see the thin scratch marks left behind where her fingernails had dug into the soft flesh just below his right shoulder blade during the previous nights' sexual interlude.

She reached out and gently ran her fingers over the tender flesh wound, that she had unintentionally inflicted upon her partner. As she did this memories of the nights' affair flashed through her mind, vivid and clear as day, as she silently studied the uneven markings.

_Deeks slid the thin protective sleeve over his erection, and then discarded the empty foil packet in the wastebasket on his side of the bed. Kensi marveled at the size of his hardness, and couldn't help but wonder to herself whether or not it would fit into her tight little space. _

_He leaned forward, and kissed the gorgeous brunette fully on the lips as he gently pushed his way into her tender folds. She gasped as her body adjusted to his size, and was amazed at how perfectly they seemed to fit together. "Oh…God." She moaned._

_He waited a moment, watching for any signs that he might be hurting her. "You okay?" he asked softly, studying her face. "Am I hurting you?"_

_Kensi shook her head at the shaggy-haired man. "No…Ah, you just feel so good." She breathed. They kissed, and then he began to move within her—slowly at first. Their tempo increased steadily, until she found herself literally begging him for more as her fingernails began to dig into the soft flesh below his right shoulder blade._

"_Ooh, Ooh…Deeks, Oh God! Don't stop, please don't stop." She moaned as he drove deeper and deeper into her steamy, wetness. "Yes, yes, yes…Oooh."_

Kensi couldn't help but notice how her own body was devoid of markings of any kind—a definite step up from what she was used to with all the one night stand she'd had over the years. Deeks definitely wasn't like the other guys she'd been with over the years. He had been gentle, thoughtful, and _loving. _That's what it was. What they had experienced together was more than just heated sex…they had loved.

_Kensi was on her hands and knees, and Deeks' muscular form loomed over hers as he drove into her hard and fast from behind—the sound of flesh slapping against flesh only added fuel to the already intensely burning fire raging between them._

_They were finally nearing the finish, and the edge of the seemingly endless abyss stretched out just before them. Kensi could feel the coil inside her winding tighter and tighter until it began to feel as though it could spring loose at any second._

_Deeks could feel his own clock ticking down dangerously fast, and knew that it was only a matter of time before he reached his end point._

"_Come on, come on-yeah baby. Yeah, Oh-We're almost there. We're almos-Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh…Oooooooohhhh—Yes!" Kensi nearly screamed with her orgasm, and then one last thrust, and Deeks too tumbled over the edge—reeling in the aftershocks of his own powerful release. "Ah, Ugh…Kensi." He breathed her name as he collapsed forward, barely able to hold himself up any longer._

_Kensi felt herself fall completely over the edge, tumbling down into a swirling abyss of bright lights and colors. Her entire body was wracked with wave after wave of intense, earth shattering pleasure._

_Afterward, The pair laid over on their sides, sweaty and exhausted, and snuggled up against each other. Deeks kissed Kensi gently on the cheek, and held her close as if letting go meant losing her forever._

"_I…love…you." He mumbled just as a deep and dreamless sleep began to fall over him._

Kensi smiled at the memory of being held so close, and being told she was loved. It warmed her heart just thinking about, and that's when it hit her. She sat up, leaned over, and kissed Deeks gently on the cheek. "I love you…more." She whispered softly.

Then she heard a sound like someone or something scratching against the bedroom door—it was Monty she quickly realized. The poor thing had been left all alone in the living room all night long.

She pushed herself over the edge of the bed, and quietly made her way over to the dresser, where she knew there was at least one drawer that Deeks kept for her in case of emergency.

She found herself a tank top and a pair of running shorts, and quickly slipped into the garments. She glanced over her shoulder at the alarm clock on Deeks' nightstand.

It was still early enough in the morning for her to do her morning run—as was part of her daily routine. _I could take Monty out with me. He could stretch his legs, and do his business at the same time. And Deeks can get a little more sleep before work._

She made her decision, and then quietly slipped out of the room. "Hey boy." She greeted the shaggy-haired mutt once on the other side of the door. Monty jumped up, and licked at Kensi's face when she squatted down to scratch behind his ears.

"We didn't mean to leave you out here all alone." She told him sweetly. "Can you forgive us?" Monty licked her cheek, and she took that as a sign of forgiveness.

She stood up then, and walked towards the kitchen. Monty followed close behind on her heels as she made a beeline for the refrigerator—from which she plucked a fresh bottle of water.

"Wanna go for a walk with me?" she asked the shaggy dog, as she walked around into the living room area next. Monty yelped excitedly, and Kensi had to gently scold him for being noisy while his 'daddy' was still sleeping.

Monty ran off towards the laundry room then, and when he came back out Kensi noticed that he was carrying his leash between his teeth. "He was right." Kensi remarked as she took the leash from the dog and hooked it up to his collar. "You are smart."

Before they left Kensi grabbed two items from the same cabinet above the kitchen sink. The first was a power bar for herself, and she knew that Deeks wouldn't mind her snitching just one on account of he did the same thing to her the last time he'd fallen asleep drunk at her place after a long day at work. The second item was a doggy treat from a medium-sized bag for Monty.

"Come on." She said, waving the treat high above the shaggy mutt's head. She broke the snack in half, like she'd always seen Deeks do, and gave him one half of the treat before they headed out. "Good boy." She tousled the hairs on top of the dogs' head, and then the set out for their run.

Stepping out into the early morning sunshine Kensi couldn't help but feel happy inside, and it showed on her outside. She wore a bright smile across her face, and found a brisk spring to her step that hadn't been there before. She even found herself, at one point during the exercise, actually humming along with every cheesy love song that popped into her head.

The duo started out at a slow jog, and then quickened their pace after reaching the end of the second street. It became a fun little game at times, between the two of them, to see who could run the fastest from one point to the next. They were enjoying each other's company so much, and Kensi wondered why she had been so cold towards the lovable mutt in the past.

As the pair continued their run, she caught herself watching the happy mutt jogging alongside her, and she imagined living this life everyday for the rest of forever.

She pictured herself waking up to Deeks and Monty every morning, and going running with one or both of them everyday. She imagined how happy she would be with that life.

Everything seemed so perfect to her right then, and she began to think that there couldn't possibly be anything that could ruin this day—or was there?

Kensi had her cell phone strapped to the waistband of her shorts. She always carried it with her when she ran, even though no one ever called her so early in the morning. This morning, however, some one did.

The chorus from 'I Will Not Bow' by Breaking Benjamin suddenly began blaring from her hip, and she immediately reached for her cell phone. She blew out a frustrated sigh as she slowed to a stop in front of a little neighborhood park—Monty hobbled to a stop beside her a seconds later.

She read the Caller ID to herself, and it only made matters worse. It was that 'private number' from the day before. She knew she shouldn't answer, but she decided to anyway. She figured she could really give the asshole on the other end a piece of her mind.

"Listen up asshole, I don't know what your trying to do or what your game is, but-" she started.

"In a bad mood this morning? I would have thought after last night's little interlude—you'd be little miss sunshine this morning." The creepy voice said, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Kensi was stunned into silence. Was she hearing correctly? Had this perverted son-of-a-bitch been spying on her and Deeks? She did not even want to think about that as a possibility.

"Don't be surprised my dear," the voice continued. "I make it my business to know things…and that is actually why I contacted you in the first place."

Kensi found herself turning in all directions, searching and scanning the area around her from close-up to far off—as if hoping to maybe see some kind of surveillance van or vehicle tailing her.

"You see my dear, you have a very particular skill set—a skill set which I need." He explained. "And I am prepared to do whatever it takes to acquire it…to acquire _You_, I should say."

Kensi huffed, and looked down at the shaggy dog sitting at her feet. She motioned to the dog that the person she was talking to was crazy. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Mr., but I am not for sale—not now, not ever." She said evenly.

"Oh, I doubt that. I doubt that very much." The voice said with an eerie chuckle. "I trust you've thought about what I said when last we spoke."

"Hasn't really crossed my mind, to be honest." Kensi remarked plainly.

"No, I guess not-No matter then. My point is simply this, everyone has a price, and yours, not surprisingly, is the safety and well-being of your detective friend." The creepy voice pointed out. "Should something happen that might endanger his life—then it stands to reason that _You _could be made to do just about anything." You could almost hear the thin little sneer that crossed his lips.

Kensi straightened up, clearly agitated and so ready to be finished with this stalker voice. "Okay, you listen up and listen good—you arrogant asshole! I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't care. But hear me now…stay the hell away from my partner, or so help me I will hunt you down and I will fucking kill you. Understand me?"

The creepy voice seemed to chuckle in slight amusement as the female federal agent. "There's no need for idle threats, my dear. I shall not call you again—but know this, by the end of the day…_You_ will come to _Me_. And you will come willingly."

With that the phone line went dead, and Kensi was left with a rather unsettling feeling in regards to what the creepy voice had said just prior to hanging up on her. After a minute or two though, she shook it off and tried to re-focus on finishing her morning run with Monty.

…TBC…

**Yeah, I know. I did kind of cut this chapter a little short, but I did so for a very good reason. See, once I reached the point where I actually did stop, I just couldn't resist leaving it as sort of a cliffhanger—you know to keep you guys guessing as to what might be in store for our favorite couple in the next chapter.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter, and I hope you will all join me for the next thrilling chapter once it is posted. Keep commenting and reviewing! And as always, HAPPY READING! **


	4. Chapter 4

Kensi stripped off her sweaty running clothes, and stepped under the spray of hot water in the shower. The first thing she had done after returning to Deeks' place, though, had been to wake the sleeping man.

She let the hot water pour down over her, and hoped that it would finish washing away the memory of that creepy voice from earlier. She felt so tense though.

"How was the run, Sunshine?" A familiar set of arms wrapped around Kensi's waist and pulled her back gently. "You and Monty have fun?"

Kensi rolled her eyes though unseen by the shaggy-haired man standing behind her. "Fun…yeah, _something _like that." She replied plainly.

"You seem tense." Deeks pointed out. He began massaging her shoulders under the continuous spray of hot water pouring out from the showerhead above them.

The feel of his strong hands firmly caressing the muscles of her upper back and shoulders was relaxing—very relaxing. Everything else began to slip away, and she soon felt as though she could just melt into him there in the shower.

Then she snapped back to reality all too aware of where her previous line of thought could eventually lead. That destination was off limits for the time being—at least until after work. Work!

"We can't do this—not now." She said finally.

Deeks stood staring straight ahead with a look of disappointment painted across his face. "Aww, come on Kens—we got time." He whispered as he bent his head down close to her ear.

Kensi pulled away, and turned to face the shaggy-haired man. "No, we can't. We've got to get ready for…" Her words faltered short of their final destination as she took in the sight of Deeks standing naked in the shower with her.

The way the hot water drizzled over his chiseled figure was mesmerizing in a way, and made her want to reach out and touch him—as if to explore his body for the very first time.

"What?" Deeks asked with a chuckle.

The look he saw on Kensi's face at that moment was quite amusing, and reminded him of an adult film he'd been tricked into watching down at the precinct a couple of years back. The girl in that film was a virgin and had never seen a man naked before, and that was what Kensi looked like to him right then.

"See something you like?" he asked with a tiny smirk. "You can touch it if you like." He offered.

She stepped forward not taking her eyes off of his muscular frame, and gently ran a hand over the hard muscles of his upper torso. Each one was firm, tanned, and perfectly toned—all this equaled out to one sexy, surfer dude.

She ran her hands up the length of his chest marveling at how firm it felt under her fingertips, and then eventually found herself staring up into Deeks' face. "You're so…hard." She murmured as a look of awe sparkled in her eyes.

Deeks let out another chuckle as he pulled the beautiful brunette into his arms. "In more ways than one." He pointed out as he seized her lips with his own.

Kensi moaned against his lips as his growing erection pressed against the inside of her thighs. Next to come was an overwhelming hunger for that which he so openly offered, and she soon realized that she had fallen beyond the 'point-of-no-return'. She had to have him now, or else she'd be unable to focus for the rest of the day. "Damnit." She swore under her breath in a low tone.

"What was that?" he asked, pulling back slightly. A smile was playing across his face as he stared down at his partner.

"You've got ten minutes." She told him sternly as she pressed herself against him and planted a full on kiss against his lips.

"That's it—_only _ten." He coughed. "That's cutting it a bit close, don't you think?"

"Not my problem." She breathed as she ran her lips down hungrily down the side of his neck and onward towards his muscular chest.

Deeks laughed and pulled her up into his embrace once more. He kissed her, and as he devoured her luscious lips with his own he pushed her backwards until he had her pinned against the far wall of the shower. "How about I just take my time." He offered between kisses.

"No," she breathed hungrily. "If we're late, Hetty'll-" she started to say.

"Sweetie, I've been to the principal's office many times…its _really_ not that bad." He remarked humorously.

It wasn't really Deeks' style to rush something as delicate as what he and Kensi were currently engaged in—to do so just seemed so dirty and scummy, in his mind at least.

"Deeks, no…if we're gonna do this, then we need to-" her words failed her yet again, but this time was because her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gasp that escaped her throat as Deeks carefully pushed his way past her tender folds. "Shit." She moaned aloud as the muscles inside contracted around his perfect size.

"-We're gonna do this right." Deeks told her softly as he planted another gentle kiss against the gorgeous woman's lips.

The duo strolled into the mission about an hour late for work after having stopped for coffee at Starbucks on the way in. They were never late for work, and there were good reasons for that too. This morning though had been slightly different from other mornings.

Deeks had noticed something off about his own cup of coffee this morning, and he'd detected the subtle difference almost as soon as the first drop touched his tongue. The unfamiliar taste had started out sort of sickly sweet, but the more he consumed of the brown liquid the milder and milder it got, until it finally became just a bland after taste stuck in the back of his mouth.

He wasn't worried or anything, he just figured maybe the barista had used a different kind of creamer than what she normally used for his particular brew of choice.

"I'm telling you this coffee tastes different…which isn't to say it tastes bad—just _funny_." Deeks insisted between sips of his Starbucks coffee.

Kensi shook her head as she entered the bullpen area. "And I'm telling you it's all in your head." Kensi threw back just as insistently as her partner before.

"Think what you like Kens, but I my head is perfectly fine—not a thing wrong with it. Unlike this coffee, if it can even be called that at this point." He pointed out to the female federal agent.

"Ahem!"

Kensi and Deeks stopped what they were doing and looked up towards what had sounded like someone clearing their throat loudly.

"Eric?" Kensi said upon seeing the tech specialist leaning over the banister at the top of the stairs into Ops.

"Need something there buddy!" Deeks asked as he set his stuff down by his own desk.

Eric looked a little nervous. "We're, um…we're all waiting for you guys up here." He told them, glancing over his shoulder anxiously.

Only then did either of them realize that they were the only ones currently in the bullpen area of the mission. The rest of their little team was missing from the picture.

Kensi and Deeks walked together towards the stairs only stopping once they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Everyone else here yet?" Kensi asked.

"Uh yeah, Callen and Sam are already up here—So is Nell." Eric informed them. "And Hetty's-"

"Right behind you." Hetty finished Eric's sentence from where she stood hidden from view behind Deeks and Kensi. The partners spun around and found themselves face-to-face with the tiny woman they called 'boss'.

"Hetty!" they both said in unison, slight surprise evident in their voices.

Hetty looked the two partners over once, and then twice searching for any telltale signs that might offer clues as to the reason for their tardiness. "You're both an hour late this morning." The tiny woman pointed out sternly. "I trust everything is alright?"

"Yeah, we're good." Kensi replied as normally as she could. She wasn't quite ready to tell Hetty, or anyone else for that matter, that she had been sleeping with her partner—that she knew would be kind of awkward to explain any way.

"_Very_ good." Deeks chimed in over the top of his coffee cup. He was thinking of course about their sexy romp the night before and their steamy little interlude in the shower just before leaving for work.

Kensi elbowed him in the ribs without warning, and the shaggy-haired man lurched back slightly from the impact of the blow. "Oomph, yow that one hurt." He grunted as he rubbed the new sore spot on his upper torso.

Kensi smiled nervously back at Hetty, and gave a small laugh as she tried her best to cover Deeks' near slip-up. "We just…had a little car trouble this morning. Nothing to worry about though—It's all taken care of now." She lied, hoping it was convincing enough that Hetty wouldn't think much more of it.

Hetty studied the partners for a long moment before speaking up again. She knew that they were hiding something from her, but she decided not to press them for any more than they were willing to share at the moment. Later on, Hetty would come to regret not asking the question that currently rested just at the tip of her tongue.

"I see." Hetty said plainly. "Well, as long as its taken care of—we'll just leave it be for the time being. Right now, we have a case that was sent to us straight from the Director himself." She informed them as she walked past and headed up the flight of stairs that led into the Ops Centre.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Callen quipped as Kensi strolled into Ops behind Hetty. Kensi shot the team leader a mean look as she took her place by her partner.

"You're late." Sam pointed out, to both Deeks and Kensi.

"We had some car trouble, okay." Kensi said defensively. The last thing she needed was to have her teammates giving her a hard time.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Deeks joked, with a devilish grin that his partner could not see. He felt Kensi's elbow slam into his ribs, hard, once again. He grabbed at his now aching ribs and rubbed them lightly.

"Is it too late to request a new partner?" Deeks asked jokingly. "I think this one might be broke. She keeps hitting me for no reason." He added.

Kensi feigned a smile for her other teammates, and shifted away from Deeks a little bit to the right.

Hetty cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention refocused where it belonged. Everyone turned to face the tiny woman standing at the front of the room near Eric and Nell.

"If we're all through with our morning pleasantries," she began eyeing each of her agents individually. "Perhaps we can get underway. Mr. Beal, if you would please."

Eric nodded as Hetty stepped off to one side to allow him room to move. The tech specialist ran his fingers over his tablet, and several images appeared on the giant viewing screen.

"Omar Shariff is an Iraqi defector who re-located from his home overseas to the U.S. 5 years ago." Eric explained, as he highlighted an image from the center of the screen. "He traded valuable information and his expertise regarding the workings of the Iraqi Military, in exchange for asylum here in the states."

"Why is he important to us?" Callen asked, looking over at Eric.

"Well he's-" Eric started.

"-He's missing." Nell interrupted her colleague.

"Still not seeing it?" Sam spoke up from his spot off to the side. He was studying the information displayed across the viewing screen very closely though.

"Why not let them finish." Hetty suggested.

"Right." Eric said, with a nod at his boss. His fingers danced across his tablet once again, and a second later another photo appeared on the screen next to the first photo. "His handler, CIA Special Agent Martin Addler, was found dead last night—he had been looking for Shariff for two days prior to his death."

"Hmmph." Callen looked over his shoulder at his partner. "CIA…what do you think Sam?"

Sam shrugged. "Should be fun." Sam replied with a feigned grin.

"Yeah, Fun?" Kensi huffed from her spot in the back.

"Special Agent Martin Addler was an ex-Marine, who joined the agency shortly after his term of service ended in 1999." Nell added.

"I see it now." Callen quipped as he folded his arms across his chest.

Deeks gave a stifled cough that seemed to rattle his chest a bit. Kensi glanced over at her partner out of concern.

"Anyway, the last project they collaborated on was a joint CIA/Marine Special Forces Op, Operation Varsity—which is classified at present." Eric explained. "Director Vance has requested, on behalf of the SecNav, that NCIS look into Addler's death and Shariff's disappearance, and find out if it's related to Varsity and whether or not the project has been compromised."

"Eric and I did some digging, on a tip from an anonymous source, and we found what looks to be a promising place to start—Saaed and Kareem Shariff." Nell informed the team as two more photos appeared on the viewing screen.

"Let me guess," Deeks tried, squinting at the viewing screen from the back of the room near Kensi. "His brothers?"

"That is correct, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said from the corner.

"Right, the two brothers were flagged by their passports as they departed a plane which landed at LAX three days before Shariff was reported missing." Eric added. "Our intel puts them in a subdivision in Malibu."

"No way that's a coincidence." Deeks remarked, shifting where he stood.

Callen stood up straight and moved a little bit closer to the viewing screen. "Deeks is right," the team leader said as he scratched at his chin. "Eric, whose else knew about Omar Shariff at the agency?"

Eric's fingers once again played across his tablet until he found the right information. "Uhh, Frank Dekker." Eric said finally. "He's actually stationed here in L.A." the tech specialist added.

Callen nodded. "Good. Sam and I will pay Agent Dekker a visit." Callen said, as he turned to face his team.

"I'll send the address to your phone." Nell remarked, as she played with her own tablet. Callen nodded.

"Kensi and Deeks will track down the two brothers. Bring'em in if you can." Callen continued.

"Malibu, here we come." Deeks said with a big smile. Kensi rolled her eyes at the shaggy-haired man.

"I urge each and every one of you to be extremely cautious out there." Hetty said, stepping out of her shadowy corner of the room. "And good luck."

"We'll be careful Hetty." Kensi replied, as she and the rest of the team began to shuffle out of the room.

As they made their way down the steps back to the bullpen, Kensi noticed that Deeks' cough was becoming somewhat persistent at this point. "You alright there partner?" she asked, as they neared the bottom of the steps.

"Yeah…must've swallowed wrong or something." He said dismissively of his cough.

Kensi thought for a moment about pressing him further, but then decided not to. They really needed to be focused on their jobs at that moment anyway.

Outside, Sam and Callen were the first to depart in Sam's Challenger. Kensi and Deeks were just climbing into Kensi's SRX as the Challenger wheeled out of sight down the street.

Deeks climbed into the passenger's seat and Kensi slipped easily behind the wheel. Within a minute or so the duo was finally out on the road headed for Malibu.

"Look, Deeks," Kensi said after a while of driving. "I'm sorry about…you know, how I treated you back there." She said apologetically.

"Its cool." He said without thinking, between sudden multiple coughs. "Don't worry about it."

"No, I am though." She admitted. "Its just that…I think we should lay down some rules for when we're at work—you know, regarding our 'relationship'."

Deeks chuckled through his dark sunglasses. "And what, pray tell, is the status of said relationship?" Deeks asked humorously with a lopsided grin.

Kensi glanced at her partner with a confused look. "Well, I just though…after last night and this morning…I mean aren't we technically-" the female federal agent stumbled helplessly around her words.

Deeks chuckled again, after another set of coughs, and then leaned towards the beautiful brunette sitting next to him. "Chill, will ya." He said quietly. "I was only messing with you, babe." He told her sweetly.

Kensi released one hand from the steering wheel and used it to punch her partner in the shoulder. "Don't ever do it again." She warned him with a playful smirk.

When they finally arrived at their destination Deeks' cough had seemed to dissipate somewhat. This was due primarily to the fact that Kensi kept a bottle of cough syrup in her SRX at all times just in case of emergencies.

The duo had made their way up the front walk towards the front door of the little house registered to their suspects. "You sure you're okay now?" Kensi asked, as they reached the door.

Deeks nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He replied. It was only partly a lie, and nothing to get upset about he thought to himself.

"Good." Kensi said with a quick nod. She knocked on the door and the partners waited for someone to answer.

The door finally opened, and a man with tanned skin and a dark-colored beard stood before them. Kensi flashed her badge at the man, and began to speak.

"NCIS-Federal Agents. We need you and your brother to-" her sentence fell short as the bearded man turned and yelled something into the house.

Suddenly the door slammed shut in Kensi and Deeks' face, and then they heard scrambling sounds coming from inside the house. "They're running." Deeks said as he pulled his sidearm from its side-holster.

"I think you maybe right." Kensi replied. "I'll go this way. You take the back." She added quickly, as she produced her own sidearm.

"On it." Deeks said with a nod. The shaggy-haired man began to move quickly around towards the back of the house.

"Hey," Kensi called out before losing sight of her partner. "Be careful." She told him.

"Hey, its me Kens." Deeks said, flashing that trademark smile that always melted Kensi's heart.

…TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Kensi barreled through the front door of the house, and immediately spotted movement several yards ahead through the kitchen area. She quickly gave chase without a second's hesitation on the matter.

"Freeze!" she yelled out ahead.

She moved through the kitchen area easily avoiding obstacles like the table that jutted out from the breakfast nook, and the island at the center of the room.

As she reached the end of the room, and started into a narrow hallway that led down towards the back of the house several shots rang out from up ahead. There were three that she counted, and all of them just narrowly missed her as she quickly pulled herself backward in the nick of time.

"Damn." She swore under her breath. _Now it's on!_

Outside, Deeks chased after the second of the two men who had already exited the house, and was currently charging through a neighbor's backyard. Their chase involved multiple fence jumps in rapid succession, and Deeks was beginning to grow weary of the strenuous exercise.

Deeks cleared the first fence behind his suspect easily enough, but soon found that the more he exerted himself the more out of it he steadily felt.

"This guy was a hurdle jumper in high school without a doubt." Deeks said to himself as he landed roughly following his second fence line vault of the chase.

"Hey!" he yelled ahead at the fleeing man. "What part of the word _STOP_ don't you understand!"

The man just kept on going. He didn't stop, he didn't look back, and he never once tried to reply or actually fight back—just kept on running ahead.

The LAPD Detective, now beginning to feel slightly winded, finally vaulted over a fourth fence line, and landed heavily on the other side. He had to stand, shake his head, and then give himself a second or two before taking off again.

"I must really…be out of shape." He breathed as he took off after his fleeing suspect at full speed. He felt, though, that his top speed had somehow decreased since the chase had started, and not in a normal way either.

They neared the last fence line, and Deeks made a split second decision as he watched the lightly bearded man ahead of him preparing to leap the looming structure. Deeks spotted a nearby exercise trampoline, and immediately altered his course accordingly so as to hit it at just the right moment and angle.

_Here goes nothing!_ Deeks thought to himself as he braced both mentally and physically for the maneuver he was about to attempt.

BOOIIINNGGGGG! Deeks vaulted off the trampoline, and threw himself at the suspect who at that very same moment went airborne to clear the fence line.

"Gotcha!" Deeks exclaimed with a slight grunt as he and his suspect made physical contact with one another.

The two men slammed into each other hard, and Deeks immediately wrapped his arms around the man pulling him downward. Seconds later the two men landed hard against the ground on the other side of the fence.

Deeks quickly moved to pin his down suspect as he produced a set of handcuffs from a side strap on his belt. The man struggled all the while, screaming curses and derogatory phrases in his native tongue, as Deeks pulled his arms around behind and handcuffed them together.

"Seriously dude, I can't understand a word coming out of your mouth right now." Deeks said with a pained smirk as he struggled to regulate and calm his racing vitals. This was a task he found incredibly hard to manage with each passing second.

He flipped the guy over, and almost instantly caught spit in his face. "Oh, that was nice." He said, remarked, blinking several times against the sticky film that now dripped down parts of his face. He feigned a grin at the tan-skinned man, and then without warning slammed a fist hard into his jaw rendering his prisoner unconscious.

"_Deeks, you there?" _Kensi's voice came through the earwig radios they were wearing and whispered into the liaison officer's ear as he sat kneeling over his prisoner panting for air.

"Yeah, I'm here." He replied, pressing a finger to the tiny bud wedged snugly into the tiny opening in his ear.

"_I've got Saaed in Custody. What's your SitRep?" _Kensi's voice crackled slightly across the airwaves.

Deeks drew in a deep breath, and tried to steady himself as a sudden feeling of lightheadedness began to settle over him. He shook it off, or at least tried to before responding to his partner.

"Kareem's down…too. We're about 5 houses down, I think." He replied back over the two-way radio connection between him and his partner.

There was a brief silence and then Kensi finally spoke up following the sound of a car door slamming shut in the background. _"You alright partner? You sound a little winded there—you're not gonna be too tired for that date we talked about earlier, are you-"_

"K-Kensi…" Deeks interrupted his partner suddenly. "I-I think…I think you should…get over here." He panted heavily. "I-I can't-"

"_Deeks, are you alright?" Kensi asked over the radio. A note of worry and concern was audible in her voice as she spoke._

"Kens…I can…I can't…Bre-Breathe." Deeks clutched his arms across his chest as he slumped sideways to the ground, his eyes rolling back a little ways into his skull.

Kensi stepped away from her SRX with a finger pressed ever so gently against her earpiece. The wheezing, gasping sound that she heard through the static of the radio signal sent a chill down the female federal agent's spine.

"Deeks?" she swallowed a lump that had begun to form in her throat as she listened intensely for her partner to respond once more. "Deeks, are you there! Please answer me." She pleaded quietly over the two-way radio.

Next she heard a coughing, sputtering type of sound, and it made her blood run cold as ice as she immediately took off down the street in the direction in which Deeks had indicated to her earlier.

"Deeks, hang on!" Kensi cried into her earpiece as her feet pounded against the pavement beneath them as she ran along to aid her partner. "I'm on my way!"

A few short minutes later, Kensi vaulted over a fence line into the backyard where Deeks had made his grand mid-air tackle only minutes before. She spotted the unconscious suspect first, and then her eyes landed on the body of her partner.

She dashed forward, and quickly dropped down by his side. His chest was heaving rapidly and he was gasping for air uncontrollably when she reached him.

"Deeks! Deeks!" she shook him once, but wasn't sure exactly why. "Deeks, stay with me!" she told her partner insistently.

"Eric, you still with us?" Kensi pressed a finger to her earpiece as she gave Deeks a quick once over with her eyes.

"_Like the tiny voice that is your conscience. Always in the back of you-"_ Eric's voice suddenly became audible in her ear.

"Now's not the time for jokes." Kensi snapped.

"_Sorry. Guess I just-"_

"Eric, listen. Something's wrong with Deeks—I need a bus out here now!" she said whilst tearing open the long-sleeve button down that Deeks was wearing. "Hurry!" she added fiercely.

"_On it. Sending paramedics to you right now. ETA is 10 minutes." Eric told her from his place back at OSP._

…Several, Several Minutes Later…

Kensi trotted alongside the stretcher that the two EMTs had loaded Deeks onto, as they headed for the ambulance parked just a few yards away from the yard.

The two EMTS had managed to somewhat stabilize the liaison officer before attempting to move him. His shirt hung open, and he had an oxygen masked strapped around his mouth and nose. He also had a portable IV running from his wrist to a bag that was being held over his head by one of the two EMTS.

Behind them, the family whose yard they were all rushing out of, had caught wind of the commotion earlier and had gathered out side on their porch to watch.

"It's okay partner. You're gonna be okay." Kensi said soothingly as she smoothed a patch of matted hair away from Deeks' face. "Just keep fighting alright."

Deeks managed a weak look at his partner, and that one look betrayed the slightest bit of fear that had begun to settle over the LAPD Detective. "K-Kensi…" He gasped from underneath the oxygen mask that he was being forced to wear.

Kensi read the look on her partner's face, and tried to ease her features into something calmer and more reassuring than what they currently were.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll be right behind you. I promise." She said softly, as she watched the two EMTs load the Detective into the back of the ambulance. One of the EMTS then turned around, and pulled the doors shut.

Kensi watched as the ambulance pulled away from the curb, and then picked up speed and sped off towards the nearest hospital. Then she turned and quickly walked back towards her waiting SRX, which now held the two suspects she and Deeks had apprehended earlier.

"Hetty," Kensi said into her earpiece. "I should be going with him. He is my partner."

The tiny Operations Manager had been called into the Ops Centre and apprised of the situation with Deeks just several minutes earlier by Eric and Nell.

"_Understood, Ms. Blye."_ Hetty replied over the radio. _"And you will be_ _permitted to see him…after you bring Saaed and Kareem to the boatshed—not before."_

Kensi shook her head and scowled disappointedly as she yanked open the driver's side door of her car, and quickly slid in behind the wheel.

"_Is that understood?"_ Hetty asked sternly.

"Yeah. I understand." Kensi replied as she revved up the engine of her car, and then peeled out away from the little subdivision.

Hetty's voice softened after that. _"Ms. Blye?"_ she said softly.

"Yes!" Kensi half-snapped, unintentionally of course, at her Ops Manager, and immediately felt very sorry for her accidental rudeness.

"Sorry, Hetty." Kensi apologized quietly.

"_It's quite alright." _Hetty replied with a quiet half-chuckle. _"He'll get through this, Ms. Blye. Mr. Deeks is a fighter, and a damn good one at that."_ Hetty said reassuringly. _"Just hang in there. Whatever's going on inside his body right now—he will beat it, be assured of that."_

"I hope you're right Hetty." Kensi replied in a quiet voice. _I really do._ She thought to herself as she drove on.

Later that afternoon at L.A. General Hospital Kensi sat in the waiting area just out in the hallway. Her bench was situated just a short ways down the hall from the room that Deeks had been taken into earlier.

A million and one different worst-case scenarios played out in her head all at once while she waited anxiously for the doctor to reemerge from within the room down the hall. She held her head in her hands, and prayed that when the doctor finally did tell her something, it would be good news and not bad.

"Kensi!" Callen called from down the opposite end of the hall.

Callen, Sam, Hetty, Eric, and Nell all made their way down to where Kensi sat awaiting news about her partner's condition.

"Callen, Sam." Kensi said as she stood up to greet her teammates. "Hetty."

Before Kensi knew it a barrage of questions from each of the team members pummeled her into a dizzied state.

"Where is he?" Sam asked once he reached the female federal agents' side.

"Better question is _how_ is he?" Callen remarked from Kensi's left side.

Nell and Eric were close behind with similar questions, and Kensi soon felt the need to lean against the nearby wall for support against the weight of all those questions.

"All of you…Hush." Hetty said from behind everyone else. Her voice has loud, but not too loud and commanded the attention of everyone who heard it—well, at least everyone who happened to be a member of her team.

Everyone fell silent as Hetty stepped through to face Kensi directly. As she passed through she made sure to give each person there a look of disappointment.

"Now, Ms. Blye, about Mr. Deeks' current condition—what do you know?" Hetty asked quietly. Her eyes pierced through Kensi's, and seemed to have a bit of a calming effect on the female federal agent.

Kensi shook her head at the Ops Manager. "I-I don't know. They haven't told me anything other than he's stable." Kensi explained in a quiet voice.

"That's alright." Hetty replied with an understanding look.

A door opened then, a little ways down the hall, and a middle-aged man in green scrubs stepped out. He looked for a second, and then upon spotting Kensi made his way down to where she sat on the bench.

"Ms. Blye." He said her name as if to make sure he was addressing the right person.

"Yes." Kensi stood up, and faced the man in green scrubs.

"I'm Doctor Craigen. I believe we spoke briefly, earlier. Who are they?" the doctor asked, carefully eying the people standing behind Kensi.

"Oh, sorry. They're friends." She explained.

"Oh, well, the more the merrier I guess." He said with a shrug. "Anyway, about your friend-"

"Is he okay? Will he pull through?" she asked quickly. She did not realize that she was saying anything until the words were almost completely out of her mouth.

"Um, that's the thing." Doctor Craigen replied, scratching his slightly balding head lightly. "He's stable for now, but we're still trying to figure out what it is that's causing all his symptoms—if we knew that we could treat him more accurately." The good doctor explained in a low voice that only Kensi and the other team members could hear.

Hetty stepped forward at that point, and addressed the doctor directly. "Doctor, if I may, can you in anyway tell us what it is exactly that Mr. Deeks is up against—in your honest, professional opinion that is."

"Well like I said, we're still running several broad spectrum tests, but from what I've seen whatever it is seems to be gradually depriving his entire system of oxygen." The good doctor explained to Hetty and the others.

"You mean kind of like cyanide poisoning?" Callen offered, while thinking to himself.

"Well, kind of, but this is different—slower, more deliberate almost." Doctor Craigen replied. "Whereas cyanide poisoning is usually quick, and nearly painless. Whatever your friend has—it's pushing his body to its extreme physical limits."

"His body began to kick into overdrive just before he was brought here. That's what caused his initial coughing, like Ms. Blye mentioned earlier, and then later his breathing difficulties—and now his elevated, feverish body temperature among other things. His body's doing everything it can to keep the brain supplied with enough oxygen to survive." Doctor Craigen continued.

"So do you think he'll get better?" Nell asked from off to one side of the group.

The doctor lowered his head at that moment, and it was all Kensi could do not to completely lose it right there in the middle of that hospital hallway. "I want to be completely honest with you all," Doctor Craigen said in a somber tone. "Unless we can find some way to treat him more accurately within the next few hours…I honestly don't see him making it through the night."

Everyone turned their attention then to Kensi. Kensi stood silently staring off into the distance, apparently lost in her own thoughts. After a brief moment she finally responded to Callen's quiet prodding.

"Kens." Callen repeated her name quietly.

"Huh, what?" She turned back to face everyone.

"Kensi, what do you want to do?" Sam asked her softly. "He's your partner."

Kensi looked back towards Doctor Craigen. "Can I…Can I see him?" she asked the Doctor quietly.

"We're still running some tests on him, and we have him sedated for the time being so his body won't over-stress itself to quickly. I really shouldn't do this, because we really don't need anyone in the way while we work on him. I guess I could, however, allow one visitor for just a few minutes." He told her.

Kensi nodded slowly. "Thank you." She whispered quietly. At that point she was just stretched so thin with trying to keep her emotions reigned-in that a whisper was all she could really manage for the time being.

She started out towards the room the doctor had indicated. Then Doctor Craigen stopped her.

"Ms. Blye, I think it would be best if you…if you prepared for the worst." Doctor Craigen told her in a quiet voice. "We're doing all we can, you understand; but if I'm being honest—the outlook at this point isn't good."

Kensi only nodded, and then resumed her course for Deeks' room.

She entered the small room alone, and stood in the doorway staring in at the man lying in the bed. There were so many wires running from different parts of his body, to the various monitors scattered around the head of the bed. It was hard to discern the man from the machine in all the clutter and chaos.

Slowly she drew in a breath, and then let it out again. She stilled herself before approaching the bedside. Her eyes wandered over him from his head all the way down to his toes. A part of her did not want to believe that it was really Deeks she was looking at then, but she knew it was.

The entire length of time she'd spent waiting out in the hallway, she had asked herself over and over—how could this have happened? Why did it happen, and why now? Now as she reached out to touch her partner's hand she suddenly realized that the answer was right there staring her in the face. She wrapped her hand around his and gave it a light squeeze.

"I was told I should be ready to say goodbye, but I'm not. And I won't." Kensi said quietly. "In the past every time I got close to someone…they just ended up leaving—My Dad, Jack, Dom. I've always felt like maybe I didn't do enough, like I should've done more then maybe they'd all still be-". She choked on her words at the last.

She silently let go of Deeks' hand, and then reached down and dug her cell phone out of her pants pocket. She held it up in front of her face for a long moment before opening it up.

"I can't lose you partner. I never thought I'd actually say this, especially not about you of all people, but this last year has me convinced—_I need you_."

With that she searched her cell phone's call log for the private number that had disturbed her so earlier that morning. She pushed send, and then held the receiver to her ear and listened for an answer.

"Hello?" came the familiar creepy voice from that morning. "May I ask who's-" the voice began.

Kensi turned away from the bed, and spoke in a low voice into her cell phone. "Cut the bullshit. You know exactly who this is." She said quietly, but very vehemently.

"Yes. I suppose you are right." The voice replied with a slight air of amusement. "What can I do for you my dear?"

Kensi wiped a few stray tears from her face with the back of her free hand. "My partner's dying. I know you're responsible." She continued. "You said I would come to you…willingly."

"Yes. I did say that." The voice replied with an almost audible nod.

"That tells me you know something I don't-like how to save him." Kensi closed her eyes as she thought about the next words that would soon roll across her tongue. "What do I have to do for you?" she said at last in a rather weak voice.

The creepy voice seemed to chuckle delightedly at Kensi's apparent plea for help. "Let me ask you this, Agent Blye. How far are you willing to go for your…_partner_?"

Kensi did not even have to think about her answer to the creepy voices' question. It just came out without a second's hesitation. "How far will it take?"

The creepy voice chuckled again. "Good. That's just what I wanted to hear."

…TBC…

**Author's Note: Okay, so I just wanted to point out that there is a certain 'part' of this chapter where Kensi gives a sort of monologue-type thing, and when I was writing all of this I kept thinking over all of the ways that I could write that particular piece. The way I ended up doing it I chose because in my mind it just seemed to fit with who Kensi Blye is personality-wise.**

**Enjoy, and as always HAPPY READING! **


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